WASHINGTON – The seven leading organizations that represent state and local governments at the federal level – the National Governors Association, National Association of Counties, National League of Cities, U.S. Conference of Mayors, International City/County Management Association, National Conference of State Legislatures and The Council of State Governments – today issued the following statement on the introduction of remote sales tax legislation in both chambers of Congress:

“We welcome the introduction of the Marketplace Fairness Act by Senator Mike Enzi and commend Representative Kristi Noem and her co-signers for introducing the Remote Transactions Parity Act. We are pleased to see an appetite on Capitol Hill to address this crucial issue.

“We stand ready to work with the House and Senate to achieve passage of these measures and address any discrepancies during conference.

“Our organizations have long supported remote sales tax legislation that would ensure collection of existing sales and use taxes and level the playing field between online and Main Street businesses.

“Without the ability to enforce existing sales and use taxes on remote purchases, states and local governments lose billions each year, which could be used to reduce other taxes and invest in infrastructure, education, public safety and other services that improve residents’ quality of life.”